Looking to buy a loader tomorrow. I have a 20 ton tag trailer and wonder if a 963 is too much for it? Probably leaning towards one of these 953s. That being said which of these machines would you buy and what would you pay? http://www.mmaauction.com/lots-by-class.php?id=12
probley the 953B the 963 is to heavy for a tag along.I don't like the C models but watch m&m they will run up and have a lot of runners in the crowd stay under 25,000 I would like to be around 15,000
There is always the issue of the online bidders these days who often have only seen the machine in the pictures, who seem prepared to pay more than the onsite bidders who have seen the machine up close. Not knowing what your work conditions are like. From the pictures - the JD 555 and lot 775 - 953 the track gear looks like it has had plenty of use with hopefully a careful operator. Just depends what price you might get it for with the track repair work imminent, seat needs fixing etc. The 953B is also needs looking at to see why the hour meter is messed up. Let us know how it goes - did an onsite bidder pay too much for the 953B or an online bidder get a bargain in the 953 or the opposite. Can you put a few blocks of concrete in the back of the tow truck? to improve traction for the tag trailer.
963 is an equivalent size rear engine to a 977, will be near to 24/26 ton machine.
Well I didnt get any of them. The 963c went for 70k, the 963 went for 15k (probably the best deal), the 953b went for 20k, and the 953 went for 9.5k (undercarriage was totally shot) The 953b was probably fair priced, but I just watched on in the same condition go for 10k on ebay. I'm still looking... Thanks for all the replies.
Just be patient, when a good well price affordable comes along it will be the right decision to jump. I looked at literally dozens of over-priced machines until I made my choice, bought an Allis as it was almost too cheap and as I have found is a rather shallow money pit even as it does do decent work, parts being the major issue. That being relevant to my being a mechanic for years with tooling enough to work on the old dog and knowledge enough of tracked machines to get things fixed. So long as you stay Cat or Deere, even some of the Komatsu or Dresser units still have good parts availability, as you find a unit check on the local parts availability(local is a relevant term) within say 200 miles for a distributor or shop that can do some of the heavier work or pieces as rails or engine/trans parts. Deeres larger units and most of the newer Cats are hydrostat, Liebherr is the origin for the Deere lines while Komatsu is a clone on Cats, Dresser/IHC/Dressta units have some parts issues, some 175 units have 7.0 pitch rail which is almost non-existent so measure before you get too interested in those(to measure take a tape from a pin leading edge four pins back to that pin lead edge basically across four links divide by four and you get the rail pitch) 250 units seem to have more availability for undercarriage.
D Miller. Hello. If I remember correctly A 963 has about 150 hp and weighs about 40,000 lbs. A 977L has about 190 hp and weighs in close to 48,000 lbs. There is a noticeable difference between the two of them. TNC-110. In my opinion a 963 Is just to heavy to haul on a tag along trailer. I think in our hilly part of P.A. a 953B at 120 hp and weighing about 32,000 is load enough on a tag along trailer . Chum.
I have seen D6R hauled on tri-axle pintle trailers behind tri-axle trucks. To me its about braking. The tri-axle the trailer was rated 30 ton. Army does this all the time. Tri-axle dump that is.
Penn DOT wouldn't Issue a permit to haul any overweight load on a tag along trailer it would have to be moved on a tractor trailer . I have seen things like that done in Canada but I also have seen some sheared off pintle hitches and wrecked trucks and equipment. Your right Dickjr about the braking so how do you get enough weight on the tri- axle truck with say a 963 on your tagalong without exceeding your max tongue weight. I don't see how you to get enough weight on the tri-axle for proper braking power with out going over your gross vehicle combination weight?
Only way I would 'tag' trailer behind a pintle would be a Joe Dog converter to a conventional low boy, too many chances stand out with a tongue type pintle hook up at 20T. Last 963 I looked at was scaled at 43,000#. Chum Duffy, I wasn't stating the units were direct interchange, CAT set the arrangement as to the replacement of the older front engine loaders. 953 replaced 955, 963/977, 973/983 on the working plain, theoretically the 953 actually replaced two, the 951 and the 955 while the 963 was a in-between on the 955/977 and the 973 a in-between on the 977/983. The 943 while agile seems too small for any real use when I asked a local contractor why he had none of them and had small Deeres that was his reply.
DMiller according to Caterpillar Performance Handbook Edition #29 In the former model section its states as follows "963 21Z 1982-95 150 FHP 40,490 lbs.operating weight or 20 tons. 977L 14X 1978-82 190 FHP 48,010 lbs. operating weight." The attached page also shows the HP and operating weight of the 953, 953B, 955L, 983 maybe I misunderstood but when you said a 963 and a 977 are equivalent in size I have both and there is no comparison I also have a 973 and a 983 and again there is no comparison I also have a 953 and I have had 955's and although the 955 is a little bit heavier I would say the 953 would out work it but it is close. Chum
At nearly 12 tons the 943 is nearly twice the weight of the old Case 450's and IH100/125's, and they were very useful. I've spent time on 943's and for fine grading or finishing with a 4 in 1 they were perfect. As for that POS 939, I can only say they must have been a lot cheaper to produce than a 943.
Guess I was just mistaken, based it all on how grade contractors replaced machines here, 953's for the old 955's, 963's for the aged 977's, 973's just a new entry for many. Been watching that occur since the onset of rear engine machines.
Probably like over here, the tracked loaders have just fallen out of fashion. If the 943 had sold they'd still make them. Closest you can get here is the smallest Liebherr. Haven't been on one yet.
That's what I was thinking. I'm not using it to do grading work, but to push up brush and stumps and load mulch/dirt at my yard. I was really hoping to pick one up for 10k...
The bigger the machine, the more fuel you burn, the more expensive the parts. A bigger traxcavator eats tracks. You can do a lot of work with a 941, 951 or 955, just takes a bit longer. They don't chew up the ground so much either. Crawler loaders have a rep for track wear, but you can make the undercarriage last longer just by avoiding locking up your tracks while turning. The number of operators I've seen doing this is frightening. Just giving yourself more room and rolling a bit further so both tracks are still rolling while you turn saves the tracks and rollers. I doubt there's a fuel penalty, either; just lock up one track on soft ground and watch the black smoke as you try to drag one track sideways.